The Miami Dolphins made a bold change of directions this past February when they decided to hire former New England Patriots head coach Brian Flores to serve as the next head coach of the Dolphins. Cam Cameron? An offensive mind. Tony Sparano? Blue collared — but still a former offensive line coach. Joe Philbin and Adam Gase? Two more offensive “visionaries” who turned out to be false promises.
When Miami hired Flores and the subsequent effort to open the season was nearly 100 points allowed in the team’s first two games, it was a gut punch. Here we go again, many surmised. But while it is too early in the process to determine what kind of head coach Brian Flores will ultimately be, we now know he’s definitely not a flop, as recent performances would indicate.
The Dolphins defense has come alive despite playing without three of their best players at the open of the 2019 season — defensive backs Xavien Howard, Reshad Jones and Minkah Fitzpatrick are all off the field for Miami, with Fitzpatrick traded and Jones and Howard battling injuries. The pass rush potency isn’t anything other than bottom shelf by NFL standards. And yet this defense is playing stout over their last 5 games.
Miami has conceded an average of 326 yards per game over their last five games. The team has forced 5 turnovers in their last three — after producing just two over the first six games. Eight sacks in the last four games versus five in the first five. And the defensive scoring is down considerably. Since Miami’s Week 5 bye week, the Dolphins defense is allowing under 19 points per game (18.8) if you adjust for Buffalo’s onside kick return for a touchdown and the New York Jets’ safety after an interception near their own goal line.
This is what the Dolphins envisioned this summer — even with the concessions in talent during a rebuilding year. Dolphins LB Jerome Baker said yesterday that this is the defensive vision Miami has been striving for since the summer.
“Yeah, if you just look at it, I just believe in ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) and ‘P.G.’ (Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham),” said Baker.
“These past few games have just been what they’ve been coaching us up to do and we’ve definitely been having fun playing this defense. Just got to continue.”
It isn’t just fun to play — it’s fun to watch.
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